2Timothy 3:14 – But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
2Timothy 3:15 – and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Timothy 3:17 – that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
I am thoroughly enjoying 2 Timothy!
I love how it says all scripture is profitable for teaching and training in righteousness. So often we find ourselves in a situation where we can clearly discern the need for a touch from God. I have often times asked God how to address difficult situations where it was hard for me to be objective and clear headed. During one of these times God reminded me of John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things…. I clearly remember the amazing hope that reminder instantly injected into my heart for the situation I was facing. I knew I could ask the Spirit to lead and guide me to do the correct thing and say the appropriate things when needed. I was also reminded how effective a tool the Word of God is in daily life. I am still constantly overwhelmed by the effectiveness the Word has in my life. I love how I can quote scripture in any situation and see the atmosphere change and feel the peace of God overwhelm me. This is indeed a sure and effective practical approach to living what He has told us in His word; meditating, remembering and quoting scripture.
It has also happened that being overwhelmed by a bad situation, I found it quite difficult to discern what God was telling me concerning what to do and what to say. It is in moments like these that 2 Timothy becomes applicable. When we don’t necessarily have a word from God, the best thing we could do is to revert back to scripture, verbalizing a word that has already been written. When we need an answer we can find it in God’s word. I emphasize that I found myself at a loss about what to do, solely because I was not focused on what God wanted for that person. I read a passage from Curry R. Blake’s The Divine Healing Study Manual that focused on how to renew your mind in order to consistently be able to recall scripture and minister healing to people. He says “You must renew your mind by the Word of God….by changing the way you think about things until every thought agrees with what the Bible says about it. To do this you must 1. Systematically study the Bible to find out what it says about each topic, and 2. Form what you learn into a statement (confession) that helps you remember the biblical position.”
2Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
2Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
2Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
The Word also serves to filter the negative thoughts and bad feelings in our hearts. It will help correct us when we are on a stray path and facilitate our training in being righteous. When I find myself in conflict with a person, whose intentions are to cause me harm, I can use the Word to speak into their lives what God says about them. Something my husband consistently reminds me of is to ask God what His reality is in any given situation, what His perspective is. I can guarantee you that God looks on us with only love and goodness in His heart. When we come across people and situations that don’t agree with our desires or opinions, it is imperative to remind ourselves of God’s reality that most often differs from our reality at that moment. My reality says I am hurt, offended, misunderstood, and so on, but God has only love on His heart for the other person. So, while being hurt and offended, I need to remind myself that God’s reality says this person is loved, this person is redeemed, and this person is favored by God. In return, I need to adjust my perspective to align with God’s reality, with His word, and my thoughts and words toward the person become reflective of His words and thoughts. They begin sounding like ”I love and respect your opinion”, as opposed to “you are hurting me and I don’t want to listen to you.” Responsible Christianity is when we care about the other person’s heart more than having our opinions heard, it is when we can apply what we read in God’s word not only for ourselves but for the benefit of the body, renewing our thoughts and focusing on thinking good and righteously in every situation. This will cause us to become effective ministers to those in need.
May God highlight to you every person in your life that is in need of His love and a word from His heart. Remember He loves you, and those around you. Let His love radiate from you towards those around you and be a beacon of hope for all to see.
Recent Comments